What Were You Expecting?
by trblmkr207
Summary: Crossover from Young Justice and Ultimate Spider-Man with a twist of OCs. The mafia group the Metas are out and causing issues in New York City. Detective Jordan and Alexander are on the case, but one has to go undercover. Read to find out what happens, who blossoms a romance, and who gets shot or killed. Rated M for future content, language, and possible sexual themes. But enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**Claire**

The air was bitterly cold in the city as a growing crowd stood over a dead body. Lately there had been a drug going around called Axiom and it was ten times as deadly as heroine. No one knew why people kept taking the stuff. One dose was enough to get you hooked, but use it often enough and you ended up dead. It was a mystery. One that no one could answer.

The police had gotten a 911 hang up from a burner cell about the location of a body that appeared to have collapsed. Everyone knew what that meant, but one detective arrived later than the rest. She ran a hand shakily through her blond hair. "Alexander!" She shouted at her partner as she ducked under the crime scene tape, "What on earth is going on here?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing," a medium height Hispanic looking man handed her a large coffee cup, "You're late, and I believe Ava was just about to give cause of death."

"Well, It wasn't _just_ that new drug going around, the guy was strangled, if these bruises are anything to go by, and it looks like he was already dead before he was shot up, but i'll have to run some tests to confirm….Looks like that weird criminal killer is at it again Sam," The medical examiner, Ava, stated as she stood up from the body and spoke to the two detectives. She had long dark hair, and appeared to be of Latin descent.

Sam sighed in annoyance. "Are you sure? Please tell me you're joking!" He groaned, knowing that the body count in his case was stacking up, "Please tell me it's not the same calling card?"

Ava stretched and gathered her supplies, looking up at him sympathetically, "Sorry detective, same MO as all the others, strangled, beaten. They wanted information from the looks of things and I bet if I take some x-rays, we'll probably find that he was later on killed by snapping the neck at the C5 vertebra…..This guy knows what he's doing."

Sam made another displeased grunt, running a hand over his face and looked at his partner, "Claire….this is gonna be a long night, any chance i can talk you into helping me?"

Claire, the blonde, laughed a bit, "not on your life Alexander, I got my own assignment."

Sam smiled, "Yeah, I know, be careful ok? I don't need you ending up as another body on my case…..I'm really worried about you, The Meta's are really not a group you wanna cross, and the last guy they sent in-"

"Yeah yeah….I know…...I saw the photos…..Parker made sure I knew what I was in for…..but it's gonna be ok….I've got...hmmm….a guardian angel of sorts…."

Sam snorted, "yeah, ok...since when did you become religious?"

"I'm not, But I do have someone looking out for me, If I don't check in every 8 hours, well, you know how _she_ gets," she said laughing.

Sam smiled, "Yeah, yeah I do. So" he asked, dragging out the 'O', " wanna go out for drinks tonight before you have to go get a makeover?"

Claire laughed, "only if you're buying!"

"You are so cruel!" He teased, "but yes, I'll even buy you a shot of your favorite."

The sound of someone clearing their throat got both of their attentions. "Not to interrupt," said a taller blonde man, his hair pulled back in a low ponytail to keep it out of the way, "but we actually have a witness this time,"

Both Sam and Claire's jaws dropped at the news, "Danny, are you serious? Because if i find out you're joking so help me god I'll-"

"I assure you Sam that I'm serious," Danny smiled, "I'm bringing him back to the station for questioning, so as soon as you two are done flirting if you could come and join me that would be great."

Sam made a gagging noise and Claire made a disgusted face, "Ew! Danny that's sick!"

"There is no way in _HELL_ there is anything between Claire and I! She's like a sister to me!" He exclaimed as Claire chose to laugh it off.

"Yeah," she said slinging an arm around Sam's shoulders, "I like my guys actually tall and you know," she paused and looked over Danny, "not Sam."

"Hey! I'm not that short Chica!"

"Tell that to the medical records, _Hermano._ "

Sam groaned, "your pronunciation is terrible, please never speak Spanish to me again!"

Claire laughed loudly at that, "You know I only do that to annoy you."

"Which is why I call you hermanita."

"What does that even mean anyways?"

"It means pain in my ass," he teased, laughing.

"Bullshit Sam! What's it really mean," she argued as they walked back over to their vehicles.

"That's for me to know and for you not to!"

"Whatever, let's go back and get some answers shall we?"

"You go ahead, I've...uh…..I gotta go see someone about a wolf," He said as he walked next to Claire..

Claire nodded, understanding exactly what he meant by that. The other officers around looked at him strangely, but shrugged it off as Sam being Sam. He may have been a little… different, but he was considered one of the best. Their boss, Peter, often referred to them as 'The dream team' just because they almost always got their man. Almost.

"Good luck Sam, remember, show no fear."

"I'm past the fear part and more at the Whisky Tango Foxtrot level."

 **Sam**

Claire smiled at him, cuffing him on the back in her usual, 'go get em' way. He rolled his eyes and stretched a bit before walking off down the alley. He knew where to go. He knew those calling cards usually meant that _she_ had information for him. On one side, she was a criminal. Well, technically speaking she was. To some people she was a guardian. She only ever went after other criminals. Mostly real bad guys. Sex traffickers, rapists, murderers. The kinds of guys people wouldn't want to run into in the dark. In reality, she was doing them a favor. The violent crime rates had been dropping since she started taking out the real baddies. Unfortunately though, the law doesn't see it that way. Everyone in his division says the same thing. 'This guy does what we are all thinking, but can't actually do.' Sam wanted to laugh. If only they knew who the real killer was, they would probably double over laughing.

He walked up to the abandoned factory, slipping in in-noticed since it was secluded and there was no one around. Well, almost no one. The sound of clanking metal startled Sam a bit and he drew his gun with lighting speed. Honestly, if the information she gave him wasn't as valuable as it usually was, he would have put a bullet in her sooner. Probably not though.

His heart raced as he saw the woman stalking out of the shadows. Her long-ish, curly blonde hair pulled back into a messy bun. She was short but intimidating, standing at a mere five feet and five inches tall, just a few inches shorter than he was. As she drew closer, he could start to make out the light smattering of freckles spanning the bridge of her nose and dotting across her cheeks.

"Jumpy there, Quick-Draw McGraw? Honestly you cops are all trigger-happy idiots," she grinned, leaning against a steel support beam three feet in front of him.

"What is it you need to tell me Liz, and why did you leave a witness? That's not like you," he asked, holstering his gun once more and running a hand through his brown-black hair. She laughed a bit. It was a silky, tinkling sound. Almost like a bell to his ears, or perhaps more like a grand piano. She made her way to him, running her fingers along his jaw as she circled him. "Oh Sam," she breathed, "Sam, Sam, Sam….all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, you don't look at me the way you used to, and you don't bring me flowers anymore."

Sam rolled his eyes, "Because of your little 'habits' my case has a huge body count and no one to answer for it, so spill."

Liz looked at him with a twinkle in her eyes. "Right to the point" she cooed as she wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, "something's bothering you. What is it?"

"Well, maybe it's the fact that Parker has been down my throat about my case and why I can't seem to catch my guy, or the fact that my informant happens to also be a pain in my ass, and did i mention that both the people i mentioned are the same person?" Sam finally expelled his feelings, "Not to mention my partner is going undercover for the Meta's!"

"What!?" Liz asked, tensing up, her voice taking a dark tone, " No way in hell that's going to happen….at least tell me you're going with her?"

Sam looked down, "I'm not….we can only send one person in without looking suspicious,"

"I'm warning you now, I'm about to murder my first innocent person, or at least torture him until he pulls her off this case…" Liz growled a bit, "I've worked for the Meta's a few times, they are sick and twisted. They will stop at nothing to take out their rivals!"

"I know Liz…"

"If anything happens to her-"

"I _know_ what you'll do…...now how about you give me that info you have for me so I can get back to chasing down the wrong guy again," he smirked, turning in her grip.

"Fine…...there's an Axiom shipment coming in at Dock 43 in the harbor. I'm not sure how true it is, but that's what I heard. It comes in at 01:00 hours Thursday morning, if you get there I heard that a very important crime boss is going to be there as well. Cut off the head the body will flounder, and trust me, he's the biggest coward I know, he'll tell you everything so long as you keep him out of maximum security prison."

Sam smiled, "Thanks Liz"

"Don't thank me, I just murdered a guy," she said looking down at the ground.

"Yeah but he was a sleaze bag. Parker won't admit it, but he thinks the same thing everyone else does. Violent crime rates have been dropping since you showed up. Even if you are working for bad people you only ever take out bad people so it's a win win."  
Liz sighed, resting her cheek against Sam's chest. He smiled more, running his fingers through her hair. "Seriously Lizzie when are you moving in with me? And when are you gonna admit that I'm your boyfriend?"

"Never."

"To which one?"

"Both," she quipped, pulling away from him.

He frowned, taking her hand before she could run off, "Liz, please-"

"No Sam, if i admit to dating you, I could put you _and_ Claire in a lot of danger! I work for _CRIMINALS!_ " She yelled in the abandoned building, "And they won't hesitate to kill everything and everyone I love-"

"So you love me?" He smirked, crossing his arms.

Liz blushed, looking away. "Who said anything about love? I'm just saying that you'd be in danger, and I got a vendetta against the underground organizations in the city," She sighed, not meeting his eyes, "But maybe….after I figure out how to destroy the Meta's…..maybe I could take you up on your offer…...sleeping in abandoned apartment complexes really don't agree with me."

"Yeah, I'd like that Liz, let's bring those bastards down together ok?"

"Fuck no, I'll do it myself, You just focus on keeping my sister alive and keeping my ass out of jail," she said pushing him away from her, backing away slowly and winking at him coyly, "next time I'll stop by your place and we can talk about something other than business."

"I look forward to it," he said smiling down at her.

"You better, though maybe you won't point a gun at me then."

"Oh hush you, maybe if we met up in a coffee shop or something I wouldn't be so jumpy," he said as he turned to head out of the building, "this place creeps me out."

"I kind of like it, might make it my secret base of operations," she said as she followed him.

"You've been reading too many comic books _carina."_

Liz shivered a bit, "shut up, comics are amazing, and I hope you know I don't know a lick of Spanish."

Sam chuckled as he exited the building, the morning sun starting to peek over the buildings in the city. "Well I have to get to the station," he said as he headed back towards where he parked his car, "I'm getting drinks with Claire later, a bit of a send off before she goes undercover."

Liz nodded, grabbing his hand and walking close to him again, "please tell her to be careful, I…..I don't want to lose her."

"I will, don't worry,"

Liz smiled. It was different than her usual ones. Normally her smile was sickeningly sweet, like honey, but this one was more like a gentle breeze through flowers. It was warm and almost human. Almost. She moved closer, stretching her neck upwards to gently brush a kiss along his lips. "I'll stop by your place later tonight, I'll wait on the couch and eat all of your food in the process."

Sam laughed, a pink tint to his tan cheeks, "Yeah, should I bring Claire by too?"

"Nah, she's got enough to worry about, no need to bother her and have her lecturing me in the process," she said as she parted from Sam.

"I see your point, later Lizzie," he said giving her a kiss on the cheek before walking off.

"Please don't call me that," Liz said as she groaned and walked off to her own vehicle.

He watched her roll the non-descript street bike out from behind the building and smacked a palm against his forehead, "Please tell me you bought that?"

"Oh Sam, where's the fun in that?" She giggled, placing her helmet on her head and starting the bike.

It roared to life and soon she had taken off, waving as she gunned it towards the city. He sighed and headed back to his car. It was going to be a long day he just knew it. On top of all that, he never did find out why she left a witness. He shook his head before getting in his car and driving to the station, stopping to grab another coffee for him and Claire. He walked into the station, navigating through the masses of civilians and officers. Claire had been writing up the report when Sam returned.

"Hey there hot shot? How'd the wolf hunt go?" She asked, finishing up her third cup of coffee.

"Probably about as well as you trying to cut back on the coffee," he grunted, sitting down at the desk in front of hers, as he set another cup in front of her as he walked by.

"Just remember that this caffeine is what keeps you alive," she said as she grabbed the next, "Sooooooo."

"So what?"

"Any news, what's the word?"

He smirked, and she gave him a 'don't you dare say it' look. "Bird is the word, drug shipment on Thursday at one in the damn morning, why is it always at the crack of ass in the morning?" He asked, slouching in his desk chair.

"Probably because lazy-ass cops like you don't like to get their Hispanic ass out of bed at a decent hour," she retorted, sipping casually on her coffee.

He gave her a look, and she laughed a bit. He was about to say something when a deep, baritone voice cut him off. "So, heard through the grapevine that we are gonna be working together starting tomorrow," said a large, buff, african-american man.

"Well if it's you then maybe Claire shipping off on an undercover assignment might just be tolerable!" He exclaimed, standing and bumping fists with the newcomer, "How's it hangin' Luke Cage?"

Claire raised a brow, "umm, you gonna introduce me? Or am I just gonna have to guess how you two know each other, and trust me, none of the mental images are PG…"

Sam laughed, "Claire Jordan, meet Luke Cage, we were in the academy together."

"Nice to meet you detective Jordan," he said shaking her hand and smiling at her, "Heard a lot about you."

Claire raised an eyebrow and looked at him. "All good things I hope," she said with a small smile before getting a text, "I'll have to elaborate this another time. Ava has some information for me."

Sam looked at her and his smile fell. "Need me to come with?" He asked as Luke stood by slightly awkward.

"No," she said grabbing her coat and shutting her laptop, "Why don't you come out to drinks with us tonight Luke?"

Luke looked to Sam and smiled. "Sure thing," he said as the clapped Sam on the back, "I gotta go catch up with Danny, do you mind if he comes with?"

"Sam you delegate," she said as she hid a blush and walked out to the hallway, "I've gotta see a woman about a corpse and drugs. If tonight turns into a surprise party, I _will_ shoot you!"

Sam laughed as he watched his partner walk down the hall. "Definitely invite him," he said with a laugh as he sat back down to his desk.

 **Claire**

Claire walked into the morgue to see her boss and the medical examiner in a frantic make out session. "Whoa there you two," she said coming in with her eyes covered, "I get that you're married, but have some respect for the dead. Even if he is a Meta."

Ava laughed and straightened her lab coat before walking to the body for her paperwork. "Good morning to you too Claire," she said pulling out the papers from toxicology, "your lovely Meta here died from the broken neck, just like i thought. He was one more drug intake from an overdose, shows that he was injecting the new drug Axiom. Would love to tell you the signs and symptoms," she paused as she pulled back the sheet covering him, "but sadly he was dead before they set in."

"So boss," she said turning to the tall brunette who had been making out with his wife, "How do you want me to approach this?"

Peter ran a hand through his light brown hair as he was debating the strategy. "Look Jordan," he said pacing around and looking from the body to Claire, "I don't want you to end up here on this table. But the best way is for you to jump right in but I have to figure out a way for to get you in without raising too much suspicion first. I'll probably put Sam on it, since he has guys on the inside. We have a few people tailing some to figure out where they hang out, their eating patterns, their mannerisms. I'll have more for you once Thompson gets back."

Claire sighed and nodded to her boss. "Very well," she said walking towards the door before pausing, "by the way. Next time you want to make out. Try shutting the doors and blinds."

Peter's face flushed a deep red as Claire walked back to the elevator. She couldn't help but chuckle as she hit the button to go up. She heard someone walk up next to her and when she looked she was greeted by a head of blonde hair. "Hi Danny," she said smiling as the doors opened.

She walked into the elevator, holding the doors open for him. "Going up?" she asked, grinning, and raising an eyebrow, "or going down?"

" Anywhere but this floor, the hormones in this room are making me sick," he deadpanned, ignoring her sexual humor, "I honestly don't know why you still insist on trying to fluster me. Unlike most of these pigs, I actually have some self control."

Claire laughed, "Are you calling them pigs because of their actions or because we're all cops here?"

Danny smirked, "think what you'd like."

"Oh Danny, you have a way of insulting someone and making it sound like a compliment,"

"I have a certain set of skills, a way with words is one of them, which is why I am the best Psych-profiler in the city," he said as he looked down at her.

"And is one of the reasons so many girls find you so attractive," she said, laughing a bit.

"Are you saying you find me attractive, Detective Jordan?" He asked, an amused lilt to his voice.

Claire felt her cheeks heat up as the elevator made a noise to signify they were at the floor. "Well would you look at that?" She said stepping out of the elevator, "It's my stop."

"See you at lunch, Claire," he smiled, waving, "oh, and when you get a chance, pass on to Sam that I don't think our witness has any reason to lie, but I'll try to get more information out of him if I can."

"I-i will…." She cleared her throat, waving as the doors closed.

Sam coughed to catch her attention. "Well that was interesting," he said as his partner blushed a deep scarlet, "how long have you two been dancing around each other?"

Claire gaped at him. "I am not talking about this with you right now," she hissed as she tried to laugh it off and walked back to her desk, "You need to go talk with your witness anyways."

Sam laughed loudly, pounding his fist on the desk, "Jeez, seriously! Just tell him already, because he totally already knows you think he's hot!"

"That's because I just accidentally told him in the elevator!" She cried out as she hit her head on the desk.

"Nah, pretty sure the whole staring at his ass as he walks by was the big hint," he sipped at his own coffee and jotted down some notes onto a piece of paper, "so, is Parker with Ava? Or should I just leave this on his desk?"

Claire lifted her head, rubbing the now red spot in the middle of her forehead. She read over the paper and laughed. "You realize that they're married, right?" She asked him with a ludicrous look on her face.

"Yes, which considering you just went to see Ava you'd know better than I would whether I should just leave this little anonymous tip on his desk or hand it to him personally," he said as Peter walked out of the elevator.

"Looks like you can give it to him now," she said as she opened her laptop back up, beginning to finalize some reports before her assignment.

"Give what to me?" Peter asked, stopping at their desk on his way over to his office.

Sam held up the paper with a roll of his eyes, "can't believe you're sending her in there alone _Cabron."_

"Sam, you know as well as I do that I can only send one,"

"So you send her?! No offense Claire, but these guys are jacked up on drugs and probably hit like a truck! If she's caught there's no way she's gonna be able to defend herself!"

"Sam I think you forget who was the number one person no one could crack in the academy during interrogation, Parker here almost couldn't get me," she said crossing her arms over her chest with a smug smirk.

"While that's true, these guys won't hesitate to put a bullet in you…" Sam began to say as the office area seemed to clear out besides the three in conversation, "I've seen them do it, I think you forget that these guys, if they can't get what they want out of you...they won't leave you alive, I don't want that to happen to you."

Peter looked at the two and sighed. "I would hate to lose one of my best detectives," he said placing a hand on her shoulder as her face fell from the smile, "That's why we're installing fail safes. You will report every night at 1900 hours, I'd say to wear a wire but you'd most likely get caught with it. You have to completely change everything about yourself so no one recognizes you."

"I know, I'm gonna take care of that tonight, so that way you guys don't even know, it's safer that way," she nodded, "by the way, you and Ava up for drinks after work? It was Sam's idea, and so far I think Danny and Luke are going,"

Peter smiled softly, "Yeah, I'll show up, probably won't drink, but I'll be there."

Claire smiled and stood up from her desk. The three stood and it fell quiet. "Thank you," she said hoping that the sentimental moment would be over with, "So I'm going to finish my paperwork before I go deep undercover. But before that, I'm getting more coffee."

Sam chuckled and ran a hand through his hair as he and Parker walked towards the chief's office. "You do that, but I'm wondering what you're gonna do when you don't get your required caffeine after you go undercover, then again, you are pretty scary, maybe you'll fit right in," he said laughing at her as she threw something in his general direction and the room began to fill back up.

"Oh shut up Sam!" She chuckled, flipping him off on her way out.

 **Sam**

Sam smiled, but as he closed the door his smile fell, "I have another anonymous tip…."

Peter sighed, "Where do you keep getting these, they're always right on target, but I'm starting to think you're psychic or something."

Sam snorted, "trust me, if I was psychic I wouldn't be working here, I'll tell you that, but I will say I have informants who hear things through the grapevine."

Peter laughed, "right, you're the guy with all the friends in low places….seriously Sam, why are you a cop? You'd probably make way more running your own gang or something,"

Sam shrugged, "it never appealed to me."

Peter looked at his co-worker and friend. "Sam I know you're not because of your dad," he said as he sat down at his desk.

"It was hard enough being the son of a huge crime boss, but getting out of there was the hardest thing I ever had to do, and…...and if I ever somehow have kids, I'd rather them try to get out of the cop life than the crime life. At least I know you guys can protect my family. "

Peter leaned his elbows on the desk. "I know Sam," he said and ran a hand through his hair once more, "And we'll do anything for you and your family, if you ever settle down."

Sam laughed at his friend and sat down in the chair in front of the desk. If he only knew. He thought back to the girl he had met with earlier that morning. He smiled to himself, thinking about something that would never happen. Sam sighed and looked to Peter. "Anyways," he said standing back up after a few minutes, "the tip stated that a new shipment of Axiom is coming in Thursday at 0100 hours on Dock 43. Claire will be undercover at that point, so hopefully we'll know if it's Meta's or not."

"Good," he said as he jotted the notes down, "Did your informant say anything else?"

"Only that a major crime boss will be there, and that he cracks easy under pressure. He'll tell us whatever we want to keep himself out of max security prison," he said as he opened the door.

"I'll probably put you and Luke on that with a small team of trained professionals."

"You're teaming us up with the SWAT team?" He deadpanned, "No offense, but i hate those guys, they're a bunch of pompous dick bags."

Peter sighed, "can you please hesitate to say those kinds of things about people you don't like?"

"Nope" Sam retorted, popping the 'p' at the end as he shut the door and walked back to his desk as he noticed Claire was still gone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Claire**

Claire was out on the street walking back from the local coffee shop as she noticed a man about her age, with flaming red hair walking the opposite direction. She hadn't seen him on this half of town before, or at least close to the station. The man seemed to look up from under his hood, notice her and smirk. She quirked an eyebrow as he changed his course so he could talk to her. She held in the urge to just flash her badge, because he looked like trouble. His green eyes seemed to be hiding something as he was getting closer, her brown eyes trying to search for what he wanted. It wasn't until he was a few feet away, she noticed the faint freckles on his face.

"Say gorgeous," he purred as he flashed a toothy grin, "what are you doing out this early in the morning?"

Claire bit back a remark and glanced at her watch. "It's 10:30," she said snidely as she waited for the cross walk sign, "I've been up since 3, unlike you who looks like he just rolled out of bed due to an angry boyfriend coming in to find you banging his girl. Am I right?"

"Not bad, how'd you know?" He asked sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"I know your type," she said as the light changed, "believe me. Not interested. So buzz off, I have to get back to work. Although I suppose you don't know the meaning of that word."

"Actually, I do have to get back to work myself, but a goody-goody like yourself would be too terrified to try my line of work," he said reaching to touch a lock of her hair.

Claire slapped his hand and scoffed. "Please," she said rolling her eyes and trying to walk faster back to the station, "I could handle anything you could pansycake."

"You wanna bet?" He challenged, flashing another disconcerting grin, "Cause here's a dark alley and I have some _very_ bad ideas."

"You're disgusting," she said as she scowled at him, "Now if you're done harassing me, I need to get back to the station and finish the coroner's report on one of your buddies."

He clicked his tongue, wrinkling his nose a bit and cursing under his breath, "Do you always stereotype people based on how they look?"

"I don't have to with you," she said turning back on him and jabbing a finger in his chest, "On your left wrist is the tattoo to mark you as Meta. I noticed it as you were shifting your hands in your pocket, now if you don't mind. I have to go keep this city safe from the likes of you and your gang."

"Heh, good luck," he smirked, "I'll look forward to putting a bullet in your pretty little head."

Claire narrowed her gaze at the red haired boy. "Is that a threat?" She questioned as she got closer to him, "because that would be very unwise, _boy._ "

"It's not a threat _girl_ , it's a promise," with that he was gone, darting off into the shadows.

Claire watched after him, one hand on her gun in case he came back. Many thoughts swarmed her mind. On one hand she should go and tell Parker right now, but on the other hand she could blow their case wide open if she found some dirt on the inside. Either way, she had a target on her back. She could only hope that things turned out okay with her going undercover. This man was going to be a pain in her ass once she was in there. She couldn't help but feel the butterflies swarm in her stomach as she thought of how close she had been to him. His scent filled her nostrils and she couldn't' get over the way he made her feel. "Dammit Claire," she said to herself as she finally got herself walking back to the station, "you can do this. So what if he knows you're a cop? Hopefully he won't recognize you at all after you change your looks."

Claire walked back into the station and sat back down at her desk to passed by uneventfully and She didn't even notice Sam trying to get her attention while she aimlessly typed away. It wasn't until she went to take a break that she finally noticed him.

"Ground control to Detective Jordan, can you hear me? Come in Detective!" He quipped, snapping his fingers in front of her face.

Claire shook her head and looked up to her partner. "What?" She asked as she rubbed a hand over her face.

"What's gotten into you?" He asked as he sat on her desk, looking over her now almost non-existent workload and her far off look.

"Just….starting to feel the nerves, that all," she said softly, rubbing her face with her hands to clear her thoughts.

Sam smiled and patted her shoulder, "I'm sorry about earlier, you'll be fine, I know you will, you're one tough chica."

Claire looked at him and sighed. "Thanks Sam, I know you care, I'm just…..don't tell anyone, but i've been nervous since I found out about this whole thing. I mean, I know they are dangerous, but this is my chance to get intel that could clear my dad's name! And we can finally get back to a normal life. You've seen what it did to…" she trailed off, knowing Sam would pick up on it, "She hasn't been ok, and has been hell bent on taking them down….and in a way, so have I,"

Sam nodded, "I never told you my story have i?"

She smiled, "I've asked a lot, but no one ever told me why you became a cop."

Sam laughed, "My dad is the leader of the _Jornada del Muerto_ over on the east side, I got out when I could and joined up with the academy."

Claire gasped and leaned back in her chair. "You've got to be shitting me?" She said with a slight chuckle, earning a look from Sam, "Sorry. Laughter was a reaction, not on purpose."

Sam rolled his eyes, "Yeah, Parker reacted a bit worse than that hen he found out, so you're still doing better than him. I never really fit in with my 'family' and I didn't make it out completely unscathed," he said, lifting his shirt a bit to reveal a large jagged scar running up his side.

Claire sat up straight and placed a hand on the base of it. "Sam," she breathed out as she looked at him, "I'm so sorry,"

"I'm still trying to get my Mother and Sister out of there, but so far, the only way to do that is to get some dirt on my dad and take down everyone else with him," he said re tucking his shirt and standing up from Claire's desk, "so now that I told you, you have to come back and help me get them out of there, it's a partner's sworn duty!"

Claire laughed a bit, "and what do i get out of it?"

"Let's make a deal, I help clear your father and bring your sister back, you help me send my dad to prison for the rest of his life and save my mom and little sister, deal?" He asked, holding his hand out to her.

She looked down, trying to bite back the wetness stinging her eyes. "Jesus Sam," she smiled, taking the offered hand and standing up, "Okay, you got yourself a deal, but no backing out because you get scared!"

"Psh, like i'm backing down, i'm worried about you chickening out on me!"

"Dick!" She yelled, laughing as he cuffed his shoulder.

He laughed, shoving her lightly. "And for the record, _Hermanita_ means little sister….I don't know why I call you that since we're the same age, but i guess you just remind me of my sister Kaelyn in a way,Y'know"

Claire nudged his shoulder and smiled. "Don't go getting sentimental on me now Alexander," she teased with a chuckle that ended when her stomach growled "Let's go get lunch."

"Yeah, that's why i'm trying to get your attention, it's already like 3:30,"

She blinked, looking at the time on the screen of her laptop. "Holy shit. I guess so."

"Danny had come by to see if you wanted to get lunch," he said as they closed down their computers and grabbed their coats, "but you were too in the zone to realize he was even here. So that's when I figured something was up."

Claire blushed and sighed. "Well I guess I'm just trying to get in the zone," she said as she ran a hand through her hair, "Wonder if Peter would just let us leave now, seeing as we have been here since 3AM."

"Actually I was just coming to tell you two to either go get lunch and work late," Peter said from behind the two, "Or go home now while you have the chance and we'll see you at the good old, Ball and Chain later tonight."

Claire laughed and looked to Sam. "What do you say?" She said as she grabbed her car keys, "Late lunch before getting drunk tonight?"

"Sounds good," he said grabbing his own and walking out of the station with his partner, "Not gonna lie, it'll be quiet without you in there with me."

"Phrasing!" She yelled as she took off in a jog down the street towards a restaurant they frequented a lot, "you gotta learn phrasing!"

Sam chased after her and to the passing eye, they seemed like a young couple in love. But it wasn't that, they were just really good friends who started out hating each other. Sam walked into the small diner and found Claire in their usual corner booth, "Why do you always have to run?"

"Because that's what the bad guys do," she said with a wink as she slid off her coat, showing her badge that sat on her belt, "plus it's fun."

Sam shook his head as the waitress came over and eyed the two. She seemed a little new, but had seen the two come in quite a bit. He looked up as she cleared her throat, trying to get his attention from Claire. "What can I get you today?" She asked Sam, blatantly ignoring Claire again.

"Where's Marge?" He asked looking around the diner, "She's our usual. No offense, she just treats us better and knows what we want."

At the mere mention of her name out came this petite, plump older woman with two plates of food, a pot of coffee, and a water for the two. "Marge!" Claire exclaimed as she sat the food down and filled her coffee cup, "I'm so glad I got to see you before I left!"

Marge looked to the young girl who stormed off and sat down for a moment with the young detectives. "I'm glad I got to see you as well deary," she said as she dished out their food, "I want you to be extra careful. You know those bad boys, they put a spell on you. Make you do crazy things for them."

Claire nearly choked on her coffee as she remembered the redhead from earlier. Sam looked at her as he clapped her on the back. "Jeez," he said with a chuckle, "Marge, I think you hit the nail on the head! I mean remember Derek!"

"Don't even get me started on that-" Marge started before getting cut off by Claire.

"He wasn't that bad!" She cried out as she finished coughing, "I mean just because Sam caught him with some other girl, doesn't meant he was completely bad."

"Sweetie," she said grabbing her hands and looking into her brown eyes with her hazel blue, "he was a right old dirt bag, using you because you were a cop."

Sam nodded along. He was the one who had to arrest Derek for drug trafficking and burglary. He had stolen a few things from Claire, but the worst was when he broke into a jewelery store and tried to get off the hook by saying, ' _Look my girlfriends a cop. Detective Jordan, she'll vouch for me.'_ Sam punched him and refused to let Claire bail him out. "He was by far the worse," he said shaking his head and taking a sip of his water, "but she's changing Marge! She's got eyes for the psych profiler on the department."

Marge gawked and smiled at the two. "Well that's good," she hummed as she stood, "I've got to go take care of some other tables for a moment. But this conversation is not over."

As soon as Marge was out of earshot, Claire sucker punched Sam in the shoulder. "Like you told her that I like Danny!" She hissed at him as she picked at her fries, "and brought up Derek. Your diabolical."

"I know, but as one of your closest friends, I need to remind you that that was a horrible choice," he nodded, "but something else happened before you got back from getting coffee. What is it?"

Claire sighed as she took a bite of her burger, "look I really don't think talking about it is a good idea right now. After this assignment, I promise."

"Fine fine, but I'll hold you to that," he waved a fry at her, the poor fry flopping helplessly. Claire grinned wickedly, quickly nabbing the fry and popping it into her mouth.

"Claire! What the hell?!" He yelled, "why would you do that!"

"Well don't wave that thing in my face if you don't want me to put it in my mouth!"

Sam turned red, "C-Claire, no! You stop that right now!"

Claire smirked at him. "Oh you pervert!" She said smacking him in the stomach, "remember I'm not interested in you."

"I know, but sometimes I wonder with the things that come out of your mouth,"

Claire rolled her eyes more, "Oh hush, just remember you're dating Liz."

"Nooooo, no no, nooo, let me stop you right there," he started as he turned to look her in the eyes, "We're not dating. I don't know what you classify us as. Technically yes we're dating but we can't say anything about it or even begin to want to discuss it because of who we are and who our parents are."

"Seriously, as soon as we nail the Meta's to a wall, you two are moving in together," she sighed as she ate some more of her burger, "plus your all she really talks about."

"Oh? Wait, really? What does she say," he said eating his own sandwich.

"Nuh-uh," she said with a mouthful of burger as Marge made her way back through, "Mot talming amout mis wif 'ou."

"Honey don't talk with your mouthful," Marge chuckled as she sat back down with the two, "Sammy, have you told her how you felt? She might be willing to talk about it if you really tell her how you feel."

"I have, several times, but...she….just seems to think it's a bad idea, like she's putting me in danger or something," he said groaning as he took another sip of water.

"What about you sweetie?" Marge said turning to Claire as she had another mouthful of burger, "Have you told this psych boy you fancy him?"

Claire coughed as she choked on the bite of her burger. Sam laughed and beat her to the point. "Ohhhhh I think he knows," he said patting her on the back again, "she blatantly checks him out every time he's nearby."

Claire caught her breath and shot daggers at Sam. "Well she does lack that sort of tack," Marge said as she stood to clear the plates and refill the coffee.

"I so have tact!" She called out as Marge went to grab the carafe full of coffee, "I just lose it around attractive men."

Sam laughed loudly, "ha! Yeah right!"

Marge came back chuckling as she filled Claire's coffee cup once more. "Honey you have about as much tact as a bull in a china shop"

Claire's mouth hung open and she was about to reply when Sam got a phone call. "Alexander," he said into the phone and quickly reaching into his pocket to pay for his food, "I'll be right there."

Claire put a hand up and smiled at her partner as he stood up. "I got it," she said as he searched for his wallet, "The least I can do for you buying drinks tonight."

"Okay," he said as he chugged the last of his water and grabbed his coat, "My witness apparently is asking for me, by name."

"Have you even talked to him yet?" She asked knowing the answer since he was busy with paperwork all day as well.

"No," he said as his face grew dim, "but I guess we'll see."

"I'll see you later tonight, okay?"

"Yeah," he said heading to walk out, "And you're gonna enjoy it."

Claire laughed as she poked around at her food, Marge still standing near them. "So sweetie," she asked as she sat down next to her, "I know you can't give me a lot of details, but what's bothering you? You're never like this."

Claire ran a shaky hand through her blond hair. "I have to change everything about myself for this assignment," she sighed, looking at Marge and trying to steady herself, "I really have to because a member of who I'm infiltrating met me today. And damn Marge. Bad boys really do put a spell on ya."

Marge chuckled and wrapped an arm around the young female detective's shoulders. "I know you'll be able to do this," she hummed soothingly as she let go and looked at the food, "You're one of the toughest female detectives I know. Hell I think you're the only one I know. But that's what makes you special, you can keep up with the boys and take them out if need be. I trust you can do it."

Claire laughed a sad laugh. "That's the thing Marge," she said looking up at her finally, "he told me he's going to be the one to put the bullet in my head. And I don't think he was kidding either, he's the one who will without hesitation."

Marge placed a hand on her shoulder, the love she'd come to have for this young girl over the years pouring through. "Sweetie, just please _please_ be careful, I don't know much about your work, but I know you can handle this. Don't let him shake you. Don't show him that he got to you," she said moving to hold her hand now, "You show them all just how tough the NYPD can be. Especially you, you will make it. No matter what. Watch, that boy will be falling for you too."

Claire chuckled as she wiped away a tear that she hadn't even realized slip down her cheek. "Thanks Marge," she mumbled hugging the woman and pulling out her wallet to pay for the food.

"Oh sweetie, don't you worry about it. When this is all over, i hope you stop by and let me know you're ok, and please check in with Sam so i don't worry all the time,"

"I will Marge, don't you worry, Parker said i'm to check in with him at 19:00 every night, otherwise he's sending the SWAT team in," she chuckled.

"Well I hope all goes well," she said as she cleared the table and watched Claire put her coat on to leave, "Especially with psych boy."

Claire blushed and walked out of the diner, the cool air felt good on her warm cheeks. She supposed she could go see what Sam was up to, but he could probably handle it on his own. He was a big boy after all. She needed to get supplies to change her appearance anyways, so she found herself walking towards the shopping section of New York. She needed to fit in with a gang and judging by what the redhead was wearing earlier, which consisted of jeans and a very baggy hoodie(despite the bright yellow and red color). She just needed to find a store where she could stock up on more jeans and t-shirts, seeing as she most likely would be staying in a safe house till she gained the trust of the Meta's. She also had to dye her hair a different color, especially now that she bumped into one.

She was browsing the hair dye colors when she heard the store door open, but didn't hear the cashier talk to the customer. She peered around the aisle and saw the redhead from earlier, making a deal with the cashier. 'Great,' she thought to herself as she reached on her hip for her gun, 'he's too fast to chase down and quite frankly not worth wasting the effort or risk blowing my cover already. I'll have to let this one go.'

Claire tried to listen in, but only caught bits and pieces.

"C'mon dude, You know Kal ain't gonna be happy about you being late on paying up," he said in a sing-song manner.

"I-I'll have it by tomorrow," the cashier stammered as he was visibly shaking, "I p-promise!"

"That's what you said last week, c'mon pal, do you know what I'm gonna have to do if he doesn't get his money? It's really messy business, and I'd hate for you to get caught up in it."

"C-Come on W-Wally?!" He stammered once more trying to appease the redhead who was reaching for something, "y-you know I would i-if something hadn't of come up!"

"Wally," Claire breathed out as she could now put a name to the redheaded man she bumped into earlier, "what are you going to do?"

Wally hummed, "Oh I know buddy, I know, which is why I, personally, am cutting you a break, but Kal is getting sick of my excuses and honestly I can't hold him off much longer. Believe me I've even paid off what I could because I'm a nice guy, but Kal is already pretty pissy as it is, like a toddler who hasn't had their nap," he said boredly, fiddling with his nails even if he didn't need to, it was mostly just to keep him busy, "I know you're good for it Harry, just get it done."

Claire watched as Wally then walked out of the store. "Maybe he isn't as bad as I thought," she whispered to herself as she grabbed the brown hair dye and walked up to the counter to pay for it, avoiding eye contact with the cashier as he rang her up.

"How much of that did you hear?" He asked her, blunt as always here in New York.

"None," she said throwing down the cash, grabbing her things and walking out.

Claire headed back to her apartment. She had to get some things taken care of before she left. One of which was making sure _someone_ had enough to eat and a place to stay. She always paid her rent a year in advance just in case something like this came up. Same with all her other bills. She sighed and picked up the phone and dialed one of the many numbers she had for who she needed to get in touch with. She knew the girl on the other end would know its her. When ever she got a new phone (which was every other week) Claire's was the first one she saved in it, and the first one she deleted when she tossed it. The phone rang for a few seconds before a familiar female voice answered on the other end.

"Helloooo, what's the password?"

Claire sighed. She hated the password game her sister played, but she knew it was for a good reason. After all, many voices sounded the same over the phone. "Tallahassee?" She guessed wondering which one would be right this time.

"Dallas! Jesus, you're getting really bad at this! You should remember that after Jericho comes Dallas you goon!"

"With you changing the order all the time? How am I supposed to remember that?" Claire asked, absolutely exasperated with her sister's antics.

"Hmmm you're right, I should switch it up, From now on It's gonna be New England Clam chowder. I'll ask red or white, and it will alternate every other phone call got it?"

"No, i don't."

"Good! We're on the same page then!" the girl on the other end cackled, "so what's up monkey butt?"

"My apartment's gonna be vacant for awhile, you know where the spare key is, please stay here while i'm gone. There's plenty of food, and i'm sure you have enough money for more since it seems business has been booming lately," she said as she got to her building and walked to the elevator.

"Golly gosh, i would, but-"

"No buts Liz, you're staying here! I don't like you out there on the streets, plus we both know you love my bath tub," Claire grinned as she got onto the elevator, knowing she had her sister hooked, "I even have some bath bombs…..I bought a bunch in preparation for your arrival. I got that one you like, you know, the one that looks like Van Gogh's Starry Night?"

Liz sighed, "Fine, but only because you have food, a TV, and a wonderful bath tub," she admonished.

A rustling sound could be heard in the background, followed by some sort of muffled screaming. "Are…..are you 'working' while you talk to me?" She asked incredulously.

"Nooo, no, w-why would i-" another muffled scream followed by a loud thump and what sounded like Liz yelling in German, "why would i be working?"

"I'm going to pretend I _DIDN'T_ just hear you say that!" Claire pinched the skin between her eyebrows and squeezed a bit, "Just...be here, ok? And be here soon if you can, I need help with some piercings, and I know you did all of your own. Even though you said you went to a professional, but dammit Lizzie I know you better than that,"

"Oh god will you shut up!" She yelled, followed by the sickening sound of bones crunching as the muffled screaming stopped. "not you, anyways I'll be there as soon as i'm done with my paper work."

"Ok, good," she said as she walked into her apartment, tossing her coat on a chair and looking around the apartment for anybody.

"Love ya sis."

"Love you too you crazy girl."

Claire hung up the phone and sank down onto the couch. She sighed as she flopped over, curling up for a bit and closing her eyes. She hadn't meant to fall asleep, but being up for almost 15 hours straight on only 4 hours of sleep makes you crash apparently. She was awoken by the sound of a key entering the tumbler of her door. She quickly sat up and moved her hand to her gun on her hip, the door swung open and she drew her gun. "Dammit Claire!" Liz exclaimed as she slammed the door shut, "That's the second time today a cop has had their gun aimed at me!"

"Sorry," she said setting it on the coffee table and standing up, "I guess I took a little nap."

"You guess you took a little nap….psh...jeez, first Sam and now you? Why does everyone I love want me dead so badly? I mean, I know I torture and kill people for a living but they are all scum bags the world is better off without so is it really a bad thing?"

"Can you not sound so damn casual while telling be all about your job?"

Claire sighed as she walked into the kitchen with her sister in tow. "I've had a long day," she said as she poured a cup of coffee, pouring in some whiskey, "want some?"

"Duh! The day I pass up Whiskey, please just kill me, because there's obviously something wrong with me," She grinned, grabbing herself a glass.

Claire poured some in and sighed as she took a long sip of her own drink. "I've got to get ready to go out to the bar in a few, but I need those piercings first," she said as she looked at her sister, hoping to not look as tired as she felt.

"Ooh, a bar huh? Sam told me all about it, you stealin' my man from me? I know we aren't technically dating, but i'm still interested in him," Liz said swirling the liquid in the glass she held.

"Not interested in the mexican," Claire said with a chuckle as she chugged her drink, "I'm more interested in, I guess, the bad boys. Or at least that's what I'm told. But I really fancy this one guy at work, Danny. He's the new psych profiler we just hired."

Liz raised an eyebrow. "So a psych-profiler huh?" She said leaning forward to her sister, "Do tell."

Claire laughed and placed her cup in the sink. "Honestly," she said as she walked into her room to change, her sister following in tow, "he's sweet, caring, very attractive, a good listener. Always wanting to get lunch with me, or to help with my cases. He's tall, blond and has gorgeous green eyes."

"You are a sucker for green eyes, though the blonde part is what's throwing me off," Liz quipped, grabbing some snacks from the cabinet, "You normally avoid blondes like the friggin' plague"

Claire scoffed as she slipped on a pair of skinny jeans before throwing a tank-top on and a plaid shirt. She quickly threw her hair up in a ponytail before quickly throwing on some light makeup. "I know," she said as she walked back out to put on her flats, "but something is just really pulling me to him. Anyways, I'm headed to the bar. I shall be ubering or walking home, or to wherever my destination is."

"Bow chika bow bow," Liz quipped, "Go get em' tiger,"

"Liz no."

"Liz yes! Though i'm probably going to go get me some myself tonight so don't wait up," Liz winked, "Though you will probably be too busy for that sort of thing,"

Claire smacked her hand into her forehead. "Alright," she said sitting on one of the kitchen stools, "let's get this over with. Ears and nose please."

Liz grinned, pulling out her piercing kit from her duffle bag containing her minimal belongings, "Alright, you sure you don't want your lip done too?"

"No Liz, just my ears and nose."

"Fiine, " she said, dipping the end of the needle into her whiskey, "it's gonna sting."

"I know it is."

Fifteen minutes later found Claire with roughly six new piercings, one of which was unintentional. "Dammit Liz that hurt!" She yelled through the apartment.

"Well if you hadn't jerked away I wouldn't have had to put two extra holes in you to make it even!" She retorted, chugging down the rest of her drink.

"Ew! How can you drink that after using it for your needles?"

"Two words: sterilized,"

"Liz that's one word,"

"Who's counting anyways?"

"Alright," she said rolling her eyes and looking in the mirror, "Wow. I will not be looking like myself after this. I'm gonna miss the blond hair."

"Eh," Liz said pouring herself another drink and sipping on it, "You'll be okay. I'm gonna be watching you like a hawk."

"Yeah I figured as much," Claire answered, sighing a bit.

"If it's any consolation, you always look good, no matter what color your hair is. Remember when we both dyed our hair black in high school? You looked like a french model, and I looked like punk rock trash. I mean I was, but hey, let's not get nit picky," she chuckled in an attempt to make her sister feel better.

Claire hugged her sister before grabbing her keys and wallet. "I will see you later," she said waving as she walked through the door and down the stairs this time.

She walked to the bar that was close by to her and her co-workers apartments. None of them had planned to live near each other, it just sort of happened. Claire walked in and saw Sam already in a game of pool with Luke and Danny. She walked up to the boys and smiled when they happened to notice her, especially Danny. "Hey guys," she said as she watched Sam lose at the game, "I see you're taking the easy win."

"Easy win my ass," Sam mumbled, lining up his next shot.

Luke only chuckled and Danny sighed, "He is good at aiming in the field, not so much when it comes to pool."

Claire chuckled and grabbed a stick. "Reset and rematch?" She asked as she watched Sam miss again, "I'll stick with Sam for this one. As long as he holds up to making me socialize and gets me a drink."

Sam sighed as he moved and put down his pool stick. "What do you want?" He asked his partner as he finally got a look at her, "Jesus what happened to your face!"

"I figured to blend in with the trash you must become trash. I was told I look like true, punk rock, drugged up, street trash. Well, i'm at least off to a good start anyway," she said chuckling and fiddling with one in her ear.

Sam laughed, knowing exactly who she meant by that. "Well then, glad to see you blending in," he said as he walked away to the bar, already knowing what she wanted.

Claire turned to see Luke and Danny. "It's not too bad," she said shrugging and wondering if they'd be honest, "right?"

Luke choked on his beer as she asked. Quickly trying to recover as Sam came back with her drink, "Noooooo. It actually suits you better."

Danny chuckled at his friend's misfortune. "It really doesn't look too bad," he said nonchalantly moving a tuft of her hair so he could see the ear piercings better, "they just are taken by surprise by it."

"At least one of you pigs is honest," she teased, giving Danny a look, "Right Danny?"

"Good to see your memory works, but mine does as well, and you never actually answered my earlier question," he said as he leaned in a bit close.

"You never stated I had to give an answer," she said smirking up at him.

"The funny thing about questions is that they beg to be answered, and one does not have to be specifically told to answer a question. More often than not someone has to be told to _not_ answer….isn't that funny?" He mused. She blushed, looking away.

"Okay okay, you win Yoda," she said as she drank some of her rum and coke.

"Mock me you must not," he teased back.

Sam laughed loudly, taking a gulp of his scotch, "I forgot to warn you about the massive amounts of sass this guy hides beneath all of his politeness."

Luke nodded, "It's true, me, Sam and Danny went to Highschool together, though if i remember correctly, he only uses it when flirting with girls he's taken a particular interest in."

It was Danny's turn to blush now as he shot Luke a look. Claire couldn't help the giggle that escaped past her lips. "Well," she said as she set up the pool table, "how 'bout this. I win Danny-boy, you buy me a drink of my choice. You win, I'll buy you a drink, and by me I mean Sam 'cause he's treating me tonight. Stakes get raised every round. Sound like a deal?"

Danny chuckled and took a sip of his drink, an unknown substance to Claire. "You're on," he said as he motioned to the table, "Ladies first."

"Even a gentlemen about getting beat," she cooed as she saw Peter and Ava come in from the corner of her eye, "You've made a grave mistake."

Danny chuckled as he watched her start the game. He really felt something for this girl, she was extraordinary to say the least. He watched as on the first hit, she sunk the stripes. "Did you just hustle me," he asked laughing as he watched her sink another shot.

"I told you you've made a grave mistake," she said winking at him as she missed the next shot, "Проклятье!(dammit!)"

Danny looked at her with a confused expression as he took his shot and sunk one of the solids. "Beautiful and speaks Russian," he said winking at her as he took another shot and missed.

"Damn….guess it's my turn," Claire said, smirking a bit.

Danny had lined things up perfectly for her when he missed. She sank two more before she finally missed. Sam cheered, downing the rest of his drink. "So, how drunk can I expect my officers to be tonight, and should I apologize to Jay in advance?" Peter asked, taking a sip of his own beer. Sam raised a brow at him.

"WOOOW, Peter Parker is partaking in the consumption of alcoholic beverages? The world really _has_ gone to hell in a hand-basket," Sam teased.

Ava laughed, wrapping her free arm around her husband's waist, "looks like you guys finally drove him to drinking."

Claire cackled loudly, nearly doubling over in her mirth, "you say that, but we all know you love us!"

Peter rolled his eyes, "yeah yeah, whatever helps you sleep at night."

Ava laughed, "my god Peter be nice."

"I am being nice,"

"I know, but be nice-er."

Claire giggled helplessly as she lined up another shot. Danny had missed his, and so far it looked like Claire was going to win. Hands down.

Danny chuckled as she sank the shot, "Well, looks like I should get acquainted with your favorite drink."

"Yep, because I'm about to unleash a can of whoop-ass on you!" She grinned, sinking the last shot to win the round.

Danny laughed, " So, what's your poison?"

"Hmmm, white russian," she said, her grin growing wider.

"As you wish m'lady," he said as he turned to put down the pool stick.

As Danny walked away, she turned to Sam, "so, how did your witness know you?"

Sam groaned, "I'll give you one guess, "

Claire laughed a little, "Did she actually say anything to him?"

"Nothing, the guy didn't even get a good look at the perp. Apparently, and this is just what my witness told me. The vic was chasing him, something about having stole some valuable information from the Meta's, and as he was running he heard the vic yell. He quickly ducked behind a group of garbage cans to catch his breath and when he peeked around to see if he was gone, he was lying face down on the ground. He quickly ducked back behind the cans, when the perp tapped his shoulder and dropped a note into his lap before disappearing into the night….guess what the note said?"

"I don't know Sam, what did the note say?" She quipped, playing alone with his dramatics.

"It said, 'Take your information to Sam Alexander at NYPD, tell him the wolf is in the pasture,' Nothing more, nothing less. Like jesus now i'm on the radar, but get this! I'm not disappointed!" He paused, setting his empty glass on a nearby table, "The info he stole from them is all of the details for every Axiom shipment coming in from the east side for the next year!"

"Holy shit!" She gaped, jaw dropping as she stared at him, "Sam that's great!"

"I know, but now these guys are gonna be super pissed off," he said high fiving Claire, "and now that they are agitated i'm even more worried about your safety."

"Sam, Sam, Sam," she said as she finished off her first drink, "We've been over this. I'm a big tough girl, I got this!"

Danny had come back with her drink and handed to Claire. "What are you two talking about?" He asked as he grabbed the pool stick once more.

"Just my damn witness, found out why they wouldn't talk to you, he specifically wanted to talk to me, because the perp told him to. But hey, now we at least have a name for the guy. He calls himself 'the wolf'" he said shifting his weight from foot to foot.

Danny hummed, "Sounds like your typical evasion tactic. The idea that your 'perp' is calling himself 'The Wolf' alludes to the deception tactic. A wolf in sheep's clothes so to speak."

Claire watched the two as she reset the pool table, sipping her new drink. "Alright you two," she said standing back up straight, "enough talking shop. The stakes are being raised."

Danny grinned, "Okay then, how about I add a little twist into this," he smirked, slinging an arm loosely around her shoulders, "If I win, after you get back from your assignment, You and I are going out on a date, not me bringing you lunch, I mean a real date. I'm thinking dinner and a movie."

A chorus of 'oohs' went through the group and Claire simply blushed a bit, "And if you lose?"

He chuckled a bit, "Then I hook you up with my friend down in booking, he's a nice guy."

"You mean the tall one with hazel eyes, who looks like he could easily punch your lights out if you looked at him wrong?" She said with a smirk as Ava chuckled at the description, "I don't see how that's me winning, but okay."

"Then I guess you better give up now. This is one of the few times where it's better to lose than to win," he said as he started the game, not sinking any ball.

"You should know Mr. Psych profiler," she said with a coy smile as she brushed against him to line up a shot, "I never back down from a challenge."

"Then I guess I'll just have to stop going easy on you," he said as he brushed a hand on her side

Claire blushed and shivered at the contact. She took a deep breath as she lined up her shot, sinking the solid colored ball. She stood up victoriously and turned to face Danny. "Your up," she said with him in her personal space, leaning down ever so slightly as he reached around her to line up a shot.

He looked up, slyly smirking at her as he managed to line up a perfect shot. Not only did he sink the ball he was aiming for, but he managed to hit one other, sinking it as well. Claire turned her head to look at his now improving skills. Sam and the others were watching the two, laughing at their interactions. "It's about time those two finally admitted their feelings for one another," Luke said as he nudged Peter's arm, "How do you feel about inter department relationships?"

Peter just shook his head, "Considering i'm married to the medical examiner, i have no real issues with it."

Sam laughed, "twenty bucks says Danny makes a move."

Luke grinned, "I'll raise you ten and say that he chickens out half way through the second game."

Claire smirked as Danny kept sinking the balls, he was just about to win when she decided to make things a little interesting. "Wow Danny," she said leaning up next to him on the table, "you sure know how to play with balls, huh?"

Danny choked a bit, missing his shot and standing straight up.

"YES! FINALLY I MANAGED TO CATCH HIM OFF GUARD!"

"I admit, I was not prepared for that," he chuckled, "Your turn I guess."

Claire laughed as she lined up her shots and sunk all but two before missing. "Your turn," she said as she ran her hand along his lower back when she walked by.

Danny chuckled, sinking the last ball and winning the game, "Looks like i'm taking you to dinner when you get back," he smirked, turning to face her.

She laughed, "I figured, but at least I managed to make it a somewhat close game."

That's how the night went on. Laughter filled their corner of the bar, the games kept intensifying and soon the drinks were running low. Claire laughed and decided to go get a round for the whole group. "I'll be right back," she said as she made a mental note of who wanted what, she had also decided to get a round of shots for everyone.

She approached the bar, her smile never fading despite what awaited her tomorrow. "Jay!" She called to the bartender that knew them all so well, "How goes it tonight?"

"Well, it's lively with you lot over there makin' a ruckus!" He laughed, setting down the glass he was polishing, "What can I get you?"

She went through the list of drinks, "And can I also get a six shots of your best whiskey?"

"Yes you can my dear, there's no way I'm letting you pay for those,"

"What do you mean Jay?"

"I mean these drinks are on me, consider it my send of and safe wishes,"

"Sam told you didn't he?"

"You're damn right he did," Jay said grabbing the bottle and mixing the drinks, "I'm worried about you. But you're a tough cookie. They won't know what hit them."

Claire chuckled and grabbed a tray with most of the drinks. "Thanks Jay," she said as she loaded it with the drinks, "I'll be sure to be back in as soon as I can afterwards."

Jay chuckled as he went back to polishing glasses, "You better girlie. We'll be waiting for you."

She chuckled and walked back to the group, "These drink are on Jay, he said 'Consider it a send off,'"

Danny chuckled, "Good old Jay, always happy to get us drunk huh?"

Sam cheered a bit, "Hell yes, Jay is the best!"

The rest of the group chuckled and took their drinks.

Claire smiled, "Ok, before you guys drink your respective poisons, as Danny so wonderfully put it, I'd like to propose a toast," she said, passing out the shots.

When everyone had their own shot, Claire raised hers glass. "To the best team of detectives, and friends, a girl could ask for. Gentlemen, it's been an honor serving with you!" She said as she took her shot, shaking her head and putting the glass down.

"Did you seriously just quote Titanic?" Sam asked as he downed his own shot.

Claire laughed as she watched the rest of the group look at their own shots, questioning the liquid inside it. "Maybe I did," she said as she felt the alcohol start to go to her head, "I might be getting a little drunk."

They rest of them took their shots and laughed. "Glad I'm not the only one," Sam quipped, "Speaking of getting drunk and shit like that, I should get headed home. It's pretty late, and I still gotta call a guy about a wallaby."

Claire chuckled and looked at him. Peter looked at him like he had three heads. Luke tried to make sure he heard him right, and Danny shared the same confused look as Ava.

"Why the hell do you need wallaby?" Peter asked as he drank the last of his water, "especially at 11:30 at night."

"Hey, I have needs Parker, not all of us can be married to a cute female coroner," he quipped, "Anyways, I'll see you later."

Claire smiled, hugging him, "I'll be careful, I promise."

"darles el infierno, amigo."

"No clue what you just said but ok," she said chuckling as she loaded up the tray with empty glasses.

Sam chuckled as he pulled out his wallet to pay the tab. "No worries," he said as he walked with her to the bar, "I'll tell you when this is all over."

He waved as he walked out the door. Claire took a deep breath, heading back to the group. Peter and Ava were the next to leave.

"Some of us actually have to get up early, so we are headed out," he teased, clapping her on the shoulder, "Take care of yourself Claire, and remember, 1900 every night-"

"Yeah yeah, or the SWAT team moves in and removes me by force," She chuckled, "I'll see you when it's all over boss."

Peter smiled, slinging an arm over her shoulders and giving her a sidelong hug. "Yeah,"

Ava smiled, placing her hands on Claire's shoulders, "Be careful ok? I'd hate to see you in my office."

Claire chuckled, even if it came out as forced and dry. "I'll do my best,"

Ava pulled her in for a hug and left with Peter.

Luke yawned, "Well, I hate to leave you two alone...but let's face it, you guys have some things to discuss, so i'm gonna do it anyways, see you back at your place Danny," Luke said with a wink, patting Claire on the back as he left. Danny smiled, "May I walk you home?"

Claire smiled, brushing her hair from her face. "I'd like that yeah," she said as she blushed and walked out of the building with Danny at her side, "Sooooooo…. Nice night, huh?"

Danny chuckled as he watched her run her hands over her upper arms, as if she was cold. He shrugged off his jacket and slid it over her shoulders, meeting her confused gaze as she sunk into the coat, inhaling his cologne. "I figured you were cold," he said with a soft smile, brushing a hair out her face, his hand lingering on her cheek.

"Wow," she said with a blush growing, along with butterflies swarming in her stomach, "so cliche, but sweet."

"What can I say, I'm a sucker for cliches" he chuckled, "Plus it's polite."

Claire smiled and laced her fingers with his. "Well thank you," she said as they continued to walk down the now less crowded sidewalk. She looked up when he gently wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Sorry, you just….you still looked cold,"

"It's...it's fine...really I don't mind."

As Claire's building drew closer, Danny's smile faded a bit. Soon they were outside Her apartment complex and he now stood in front of her. "So….I guess this is good-bye for a while," he said running his free hand through his hair.

"Yeah," she sighed, looking up at the light reflecting in his emerald-green eyes, "It's gonna be weird without you always bringing me lunch."

"It's gonna feel weird not bringing you lunch," he said with a soft chuckle.

Claire weighed the options of inviting him up, the alcohol in her system helping to make that decision easier. "D-do you want to come up for a bit?" She asked as she nervously chewed her bottom lip.

Danny smiled, "I would love to, but Luke is back at my place waiting for me, I really shouldn't make him wait."

Claire laughed, "then maybe you can spend the night after our date?"

"I look forward to it," he said leaning in to her.

Claire held her breath as he leaned in for a kiss. She hesitated but soon met his lips with her own. There was a bit of spark, but nothing more than a static shock. Albeit a feeling she could definitely get used to. When they pulled apart she smiled up at him, "I do to."

Danny smiled, "Take care of yourself, Claire, I will see you when you get back."

"Yeah, sounds good."

Danny waved as he quickly crossed the street. It was only after he left that she realized she still had his jacket draped around her shoulders. She laughed and headed up to her apartment to finish giving herself a makeover.

 **Sam**

Sam made it back to his apartment relatively easy, but what he was not expecting to find (even though she had warned him) was Liz curled up on the kitchen floor, stitching up a large cut on her forearm.

"Oh, hey Sam, don't be mad, but I had to use your whiskey to sterilize my med kit."

"What the hell Liz?" He said, pouring himself a drink and sitting beside her, "is….is that my dental floss?"

"What? No! Psh, why would I use dental floss hehehe-"

Sam fixed her with a look and she at least had the courtesy to look somewhat sheepish.

"Okay okay, yes….but it works just fine, I'll be good as new in a couple days."

"What happened anyways?"

"I got in a fight with a drunk in an alleyway. Correction, he tried to fight me, but I was just not having it, and it was either my arm or my neck…..so I went with the lesser of two evils."

Sam sighed, watching as she finished stitching herself up. "Well that's gonna leave a mark."

Liz laughed, "The best stories always do,"

Sam smiled, Helping her up. She wobbled a bit, clinging to his shoulders.

"I think the whiskey is starting to kick in," he teased, playing with her still damp hair, "did you get a shower?"

" I just got stabbed by a drunk bum, of course I got a shower!" She retorted, her expression neutral.

Sam rolled his eyes, "It's nice to see you starting to take better care of yourself."

"Sam, how drunk are you right now?" She asked, tracing her fingers along his chest.

"Not nearly drunk enough to process the fact that you just sewed your arm up with dental floss and whiskey," he laughed, "You street rats really hate hospitals, huh?"

"People know me there," she sighed, nuzzling against his neck.

He inhaled deeply, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and gently swaying. He didn't know why he started this slow rhythm. There was no music, and he didn't have a clue how to dance, but it just felt nice to have her in his arms. It felt natural, normal. He knew she would be gone again in the morning, but for now she was here. He was going to make the most of it while he could. She smiled, humming a soft tune to the swaying.

"This is nice," he murmured against her ear.

She took a deep breath, still not meeting his eyes, "It is,"

"Liz-"

"Sam-"

They laughed a bit, Liz finally glancing up to look Sam in the eyes. "You go first," she laughed.

"I want you to stay with me, even if it's un-official. Even if you can't tell anyone you're here. I just…..I hate that the only way I can get a hold of you is to wait for a body to turn up. I just…..I need to know you're safe."

Liz nodded. She went through her own thoughts, trying to find a reason to say no. Something, anything. All she found was reasons to stay. Reasons why it's ok to be with him in his tiny little apartment near the police station. She sighed once more and nodded again, this time with a bit more force. As if she were reaffirming her own decision.

"Okay," she stated simply.

Sam almost thought he was hearing things, "what?"

"I said ok, I'll stay with you. But only after Claire gets back, her plants need watered and her bath tub is amazing," she grinned.

Sam laughed a little in disbelief, "You're serious right? Like you're not kidding?"

"Nope, not kidding. I don't have much stuff so it's not like it's inconvenient," she giggled.

Sam couldn't contain his happiness. He pulled her into a crushing hug. She gasped a bit, but returned the hug, "I won't always be around you know. I work long hours, and most holidays. And I can't always come home immediately. "

"I don't care,"

"I'm a murderer,"

"Still don't care"

"I kill people for a living,"

"What part of 'I don't care' do you not understand?"

"You should care, you're a damn cop!"

He smirked, spinning her around and pinning her good arm behind her back, "Is that a confession?"

She shivered, "And what if it is?"

"Then I guess i'm going to have to bring you in for questioning."

Liz laughed, gripping his arm and twisting it. Not hard enough to actually hurt him, but just hard enough to catch him off guard.

"I'd like to see you try, _Detective_ ," she purred into his ear as she turned and pressed up against him, "I am a trained professional,"

"I know, and I love it," he hummed, his eyes meeting hers.

His eyes weren't a bright, vibrant green. They were more a gentle teal color, and they bore into Liz's light gray orbs. They never failed to take his breath away. Liz leaned up, placing another gentle kiss against his lips. He placed his hand on her cheek as he kissed her back, gently rubbing his thumb over the smattering of freckles he found there.

She pulled away just slightly and rested her head against his shoulder, just listening to his heart beat.

"It's odd isn't it?" She mused, which caused Sam to look at her curiously.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"I….I never told you this, but I used work on an ambulance…...I was a medic and I was damn good at my job." She sighed, pulling back to look at him, " When dad got framed, I quit. I took some time to figure out a plan, decided to really do some digging. And somehow just...ended up here. It's funny, these hands that were trained to save lives, are now the tools i use to take them. It's almost ironic in a way."

Sam smiled, kissing her cheek, "Is it bad that I find that morbidly beautiful?"

She laughed, gently smacking him in the chest, "A little weird, but hey….that's what i love about you."

Sam felt a cheek splitting grin spread across his face. "You love me?" He asked leaning his forehead on her's, "you really mean it?"

She flushed a bit, but there was no sense in denying it. "Yeah….I do…." She breathed, it came out as barely a whisper, something that could've easily been missed had he not been intent on hearing what she had to say.

He placed a soft kiss on her lips and couldn't shake the smile on his face. "I love you too," he said as he held on to her tightly, "no matter what."

"Even though I'm a wanted criminal?" She teased.

"No one even knows it's you, you never leave a trace of who you are. Well, except for today. Why is that? "

"I figured i'd give you at least one lead. That should keep Parker from getting suspicious right?" She cooed, sliding her hands along his sides.

The contact made his breath hitch in his throat. She had a hold on him, and he didn't want her to let go. He ran his fingers through her hair, taking in the feeling of her soft curls. She hummed in content. He leaned in and placed gentle kisses along her neck, causing her to gasp.

"Sam," she huffed, cocking her head to the side to give him more room.

She knew she should stop him. She should, but she didn't want to. She liked the way he gently slide her shirt up and over her head. She adored the way his lips met hers in a heated kiss. It was warm, and safe, and it never felt like he was trying to force her into giving him anything. It was always so gentle and more like he was asking. Always a question in the soft touches and kisses he placed on her skin.

Contrary to what her sister thought, her and Sam had never slept together before. Liz shivered more, clinging to Sam when he grazed his teeth along her clavicle. He smiled, pulling back to look her in the eyes.

"Something wrong Liz?" He teased, grabbing the edge of his own shirt and pulling it up over his head. Liz stared at his toned chest.

"Wow, do you work out?" She quipped, placing a single hand against his abs. Her eyes were drawn to the scar on his side, and she found her hand wandering down towards it.

"I have some gnarly scars, but this one just might be worse," she stated, running her fingertips along it.

Sam's gaze fell upon the numerous ones littering the girl's body. Long ones, short ones, jagged ones that looked like they never healed properly. He found the one spanning the length of her chest the most interesting. It reached from her right shoulder down to her left hip. It looked jagged and rough, and still a bit pink. It was fairly new he guessed.

"I had a run in with the Red Dragons…...stupid ninja bastards cut me open wider than a butchered deer. It was pretty shallow, but it still hurt like a bitch. If i had just been a second slower it woulda killed me," she laughed dryly, "But i'm ok…..I have a couple friends who take care of me."

Sam frowned, "At least tell me they are trustworthy."

"I run with a wild gang of mercenaries…..of course I can trust them"

Sam rolled his eyes, " do they have names?"

"Well, I can tell you Wade's because he is not a known giver of fucks, but you can call the other two Chesh and Red…..that's about all I can tell you about them, but just know that Wade has gotten me out of a lot of trouble. He's the one who taught me everything."

"Cheers to Wade then," he responded half-heartedly.

She laughed a bit and reached behind her to unhook her bra, "keep talking like that Sam and I'll just go ahead and put my shirt back on."

"Fine fine, " he laughed, biting his lip as she slowly slid the straps off her shoulders to expose her breasts to him.

"Something wrong Sam?" She teased, mocking his earlier words as she pressed back against him.

He didn't say anything. He couldn't. Even with the scars, even with the bruises, she was still the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He slowly brought his hands to her hips and pulled her closer, if that was possible. He kissed back down along her neck and over her collarbone and over the top of where her breasts began. She bit her lip, trying to quell the way her legs shook. It could be the way Sam was treating her right now, or it could be the fact that she had two glasses of straight whiskey coursing through her system. All she knew was that she didn't care. She wanted Sam. She gasped when he effortlessly picked her up, set her on the counter and kissed her. She had never felt this way about anyone. She'd always only lived for her family. Only ever cared about her family, but now Sam was here and that made her happy, and yet it also terrified her. She kissed back roughly, wrapping her Jean-clad legs around his hips and pulling him back close to her. She didn't want him to let go of her. She wanted him to be in the same space as her.

Sam pulled back from the kiss and ran his hands from her hips up to her ribs, splaying his fingers along the bones he felt there. "Have you even been eating?" He asked, scrunching his nose up a bit.

"Yes, three meals a day, seven days a week, sometimes I even eat snacks between jobs," she rolled her eyes, "now are you gonna kiss me or not idiot? I'm not sittin' here shirtless for the hell of it."

Sam laughed, daring to move a hand to play with one of her breasts," I think I can find a good use for your lack of shirt."

Liz opened her mouth, blushing a bit, her breath hitching in her throat, "S-Sam."

"Hmm?"

She didn't say anything, just kept glaring down at him in a 'will you get on with it' way. He laughed, nibbling on her neck more. She squirmed against him, causing him to moan a little.

"You little tease," he huffed, "do you even know what you do to me?"

"That leads me into a question of my own," she giggled, "Is that a gun in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?"

He groaned, but this time it was from the tacky line she just used on him, "Did you really have to say that?"

"I have been waiting for a year and a half to use that line on you," she chuckled, moving her hips against his slowly once more, "Of course i'm going to take my chance,"

He sighed softly, hooking his thumbs in her belt loops and tugging them down a bit.

"Jeez, you paint these things on or something?" He quipped, fumbling with the button.

"Only for you, these are my best pair, and from what i've heard they make my ass look amazing,"

"Do I need to abuse my authority and lock some people up?"

"Don't worry, you have nothing to worry about," she giggled, kissing along his jaw as he finally managed to pop the button on her jeans.

"Good, You're my girl now, _Carino,_ " he whispered, causing a soft noise to escape her.

"You promise?" She gasped.

"I promise," he breathed against her cheek.

The sound of Liz's cell phone ringing caused them both to audibly growl.

Liz scooted off the counter to grab her phone, which she has tossed on her bag.

"Whats. The. Password." She ground out.

"Lizzieeee, i need you to cut my hair!" Claire giggled, "Why do you sound so upset? Are you with Saaam? Hmm? Are you two _FINALLY_ making things official?"

"Claire, you're drunk…." She dead-panned.

"Liiiz! Please?!"

"Oh my god fine!"

"Yes! I love you!"

"I love you too,"

"Please come over quick! But preferably dressed!"

"Oh my god Claire shut up!"

"See you soon!" Claire cooed softly into the phone.

Liz hung up without another word and sighed. Sam mumbled something in spanish and put his shirt back on. Liz did the same and before long they were once again both dressed and looking at each other with the same hungry eyes.

"Jeez Liz, what am I supposed to do about...y'know...this?" He said, gesturing to his nether regions.

Liz giggled, "Another time Sam, I promise. I'll be at Claire's place for the foreseeable future, so feel free to stop by. As for _that_ , I guess you'll just have to take care of it yourself."

Sam grunted, "So...you are going to Claire's?"

"Noo, I'm just passing up the chance to sleep with a smokin' hot cop to sleep around with one-eyed Jim behind the local biker bar," she rolled her eyes, "yes i'm going to Claire's. She wants me to cut her hair."

"Yikes," he said running a hand through his brown hair, "That'll be interesting. She loves her long hair."

"I know," Liz said as she moved towards the door, "I'm thinking she'll cry."

Sam chuckled knowing that Claire would most likely cry at cutting her hair. She had worked hard on growing it back out from the academy, she had it cut short so it was easier to run. "I'm worried about her going," he said finally sighing and giving into his feelings, other than lust, "Is there anyway for you to get her in there easily?"

Liz paused as she stared into his eyes. "I'll do my best," she said as she gave him a chaste kiss on the lips and headed out the door, "but I make no promises."

Sam watched after her as he slouched against the counter. He finally gave up on her coming back and walked into his bedroom, shedding his clothing by himself and climbing into a cold shower so he could go to sleep.

 **Claire**

Claire was standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom, staring at her reflection. The girl who she saw looked nothing like her usual appearance, which she supposed was a good thing. She now had dark brown hair that flowed down to the middle of her back, it was odd to not see her usual golden blond locks. Now she looked like her mother, the one she despised with all her might. She held the scissors in hand, waiting for Liz to get there and cut it short. She ran her hand through the lengths, treasuring them one last time as she grabbed a fistful to cut. She couldn't stand looking like her mother, so she cut as close to her hand as possible without cutting herself.

Some hair fell onto the floor, but she had quite the handful as she heard the front door open and close. "Claire?" her sister called as she followed the trail of clothes to the bathroom.

Liz stood in the doorway, mouth agape at the sight of her sister. Claire's hair was in chunks and she stood in pajamas in front of the sink. Her cheeks a little red from the alcohol. "What in the holy hell did you do?" She asked as she took the scissors from her sister's hand, the rest of the hair falling with it, "Why didn't you wait for me?"

"I couldn't stand looking at...at _her_ anymore." She admitted, giving up the scissors without a fight.

Liz sighed, hugging her sister gently, "I know, you're gonna be ok. I'll make sure of it."

"I know you will."

"Now let's fix this mess, I know you're going for street trash, but this is a little overboard," she teased, evening out the lengths of hair.

She trimmed and trimmed until she found a suitable style that wasn't choppy and uneven. It was much shorter than she had originally planned to go, but it looked good on her. "There, all done," she crooned, playing with the now short locks.

It was just a bit longer in the front, with short layers in the back. It looked like a style your normal female street thug would have. Short enough to keep out of her face if she needed to run, but also long enough to hide her face in a crowd if need be. She could blend a lot easier. Claire felt some tears start to well up in her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away.

"It's….so short," Claire admitted, playing with the longer part out front, "it's gonna take some getting used to."

"I know, I'm actually thinking of getting mine chopped off too. Lately it's been causing problems, but i don't know how Sam will take it," she said chuckling to make her sister feel better.

Claire chuckled a little, "As long as you don't make yourself look like a butch lesbian again i think you'll be ok."

Liz laughed, remembering the mishap she had the last time she cut her own hair, "That was a one time deal, and the last time i ever try to cut my hair with you around. Ms. Gonna Scare My Sister."

Claire laughed a bit more, "your face was worth it!"

The two fell into a silence that seemed to never end. Claire looked up at her sister and gave a small smile. "I'm gonna miss being able to talk to you," she said as she walked past her sister and to her room to finish packing, "let alone actually seeing to you."

"You do realize that as sick as it makes me, I do actually _work_ for those dick bags right?" Liz quipped, sitting on the edge of Claire's bed, "odds are we'll see each other at some point, and you have my current number. So you can always text me."

"I'll never understand how you can do things like that Liz. Doesn't it bother you? Even a little?"

"Not when they are scumbags who are, quite frankly, a waste of resources," she noted.

There was no remorse in her voice, none at all, "You cops are bound by rules, codes and regulations. You can't deviate from protocol or else you'll end up on the wrong side of said rules. Me? I can do what I want. I see an asshole being an asshole? I can beat them to a pulp and get away with it. Well, so long as I lure him away from the busy streets that is. I honestly don't know why you think i'd feel bad for taking out dick weasels. They wanna hurt innocent people, they gotta pay the price."

Claire zipped her bag and sat next to her sister. "I just find it odd," she said looking at her sister, "you used to be a Medic. You saved lives, regardless of being a scumbag or not. You didn't care, you saved them anyways. I just want to know where my Lizzie went to. Especially before I go into a possible suicide mission."

Liz chuckled dryly, "I wish I knew, but I can tell you….she probably died with mom….." Liz took a deep breath, trying to block out the images. "I wish…..I wish the cops took me seriously when I said it wasn't dad, but they blew me off. Said I was too traumatized. Well traumatize this dickbags, I'll take them down myself."

Claire took her sister's hand. She held it tight and lifted it to her chest. A show of comfort. Of love. Of compassion for her older sister. "Lizzie...Just….promise me when this is all over, you'll find a job you love, and not one that's fueled by hate and revenge?" She asked as she ran her free hand through her now short hair.

"I can't make any promises I can't keep," she said as she wrapped an arm around her sister, "but I will make sure you'll be safe in there. Now get some rest. You have a long day tomorrow."

Claire sighed and stood, pushing her bag off of the foot of her bed. She pulled down the covers and crawled in, the comfort of the pillows and blankets lulling her into a fast sleep.

 **Liz**

Liz watched her sister for a moment before going into the bathroom and cleaning up the hair that was strewn around the floor. Once she was done with that she walked out and into the bedroom, making sure her sister was still asleep, she shut the light off and walked into the kitchen. She pulled out her burner phone and debated on making the phone call to get Claire in now, it was only 12:45 in the morning, almost peak business hours for the Meta's. She clicked through her contacts before finding the one she needed. She dialed the number and waited impatiently for the other end to answer. When they did, it made Liz's hair stand on end.

"Never thought you'd be contacting us. To what do I owe the honor?" Came a deep, smooth voice.

One that never failed to make Liz feel sick, "I have some info on a possible new recruit for you. Meet me in the park in an hour and I'll fill you in. Consider this the favor you owe me. Well, one of them anyways,"

There was a deep laugh on the other end before he answered, "How about I send someone in my stead, I have some business to attend to. I trust that won't be an issue?"

"Not at all, but if at all possible, send Dick, he seems to know what he's doing. No offense, but some of your people are dumber than a sneaker full of shit."

This time the voice laughed wholeheartedly, "I'm not offended in the least, since you are right after all. I'll send Dick and Wally to meet you in an hour. Since you contacted us, please don't be late."

"I'm never late," she growled.

"That is true. Till next time Wolf."

The called ended and Liz felt her stomach do flips. She didn't want to do this. Much less because her precious younger sister was going undercover in the deadliest gang in New York. She took a deep breath and quickly got to work fabricating a month's worth of research on her sister's new alias. She spent a good fifteen minutes coming up with a good name. Natalie Romarro, born in the US to Russian parents who escaped their home country after faking their own death. Natalie was trained as an assassin, mostly by her father, but was only to use it in self defense if it came down to it. Long story short she used it and realized it was fun and that she had a knack for it.. Over ninety-six confirmed kills and zero arrests. She was one of the best, rivaling Liz of course.

Once she had an ID made, and reports fabricated she took a break. She grabbed a bag of chips and started munching on them as she made a call to Sam.

"Alexander….." Came the half awake reply on the other end.

"I'm meeting with the Meta's recruit specialist in about….." She glanced at the clock, "twenty minutes, I'll have our girl in easy as pie."

"Liz? It's nearly two AM? Why are you even awake?"

"Because it's prime business hours buddy! I got shit to do, places to go, people to see. Just thought you'd like a heads up in case my body turns up in a ditch somewhere."

"That's not funny Liz,"

"Who said it was a joke?"

The was a loud sigh from the other end, "Just make it believable ok?"

"Ooooh I will, but i'm making up a good story here ok? Get back to sleep, i...uh…..I love you."

There was a long drawn out silence, and Liz thought maybe he had already fallen back asleep, till a lazy voice replied, "Love you too Liz."

She hung up without another word. Grabbing her coat and walking out the door. She descended the steps two at a time, and nearly ran out the door. She ran almost the entire way to the park, hoping to make it to the park early. She only stopped running once she reached the entrance to Central Park, walking out and towards a bench where most of the deals happened. She pulled out her phone and glanced at the time, she had five minutes to spare before the two gang members would be there. She didn't like the Meta's, but if she could consider any of them friend material it would be these two. They weren't like the others, and they actually had quite a bit of compassion for people.

She glanced around, feeling on edge as she gripped the knife she always carried. She never went anywhere unarmed anymore. The crunching of leaves had her up with a knife to someone's throat in a matter of seconds.

"Whoaaah there, don't shoot the messenger," Came the startled reply from a familiar red head.

Liz huffed as she pulled the knife from his neck, but she didn't put it away. A dark haired boy soon made himself known as he stepped from the shadows. He wore dark clothes and dark sunglasses, despite it being 2 AM. "Nice to see you again Wolf," he said as he stood next to the red head.

"Likewise Dick." she practically hissed the words.

"Soooo, Kal told us you had some info on a possible new recruit?"

"Yeah Wally," she said as she pulled out a paper with information on it, "she's good too. One of the best. She's nearly got a better success rate than I do."

Wally, whistled, "that's a hard feat to accomplish."

Liz pulled out the file she had composed, and handed it to Dick.

"Her name is Natalie Romarro. American-Russian assassin extraordinaire," she said as she ran a hand through her hair, "Ninety-six confirmed kills, speaks fluent Russian of course, as well as four other languages, including English. I've worked with her a few times. She's good. Really good."

Wally grabbed for the file, but Dick pulled it out of reach. "You worked with her? I thought you were a loner?"

"Some jobs are just too big for little ol' me," She cooed, batting her eyes.

Wally snorted, still trying and failing to grab at the file. "Jeez, if she's so...ack...amazing," he huffed, finally giving up, "then why doesn't she just run her own faction?"

"Because that's too much work. She thinks it's fun to torture and interrogate people till they break. Ever seen a guy have the skin on his finger evulsed?"

Wally cringed, "no and I don't want to."

Liz smirked, "then stay on her good side and you won't have to."

"So we just call this number and she'll show up where we tell her to?" Dick asked as he finally looked up from the file, his sunglasses falling down his nose.

Liz stalked over to him, pushing the glasses back up to their rightful spot and getting uncomfortably close to his face. "More or less, she only answers in a certain time frame. Since she is so popular, she's still finishing up a few jobs, but I'll just drop her off when she's done. Easier that way y'know?"

Dick gently pushed her by her shoulders away from him.

Liz laughed and continued, "I was thinking I could bring her by the safe house later on. She asked me for a favor and I'm happy to oblige. She's a damn good addition to any team. Ruthless, but also very….sassy. She a real pistol once you get to know her."

Dick seemed to contemplate the idea for a moment, and small alarms were going off in Liz's head that she should murder them both and be done with it.

Suddenly Dick smiled, "Sounds like a good deal, we'll see you at the safe house around four, and Liz?"

"Yes?" She replied in her sickly sweet tone of voice.

"I got some info I want you to leak to the cops," he said slipping her a small, folded piece of paper from his sleeve.

Wally grinned, "It's good stuff too."

Liz smirked, taking the paper from him, "Aww, that's nice of you Dick,"

"So are you gonna tell me who she really is?" He asked as he raised an eyebrow over his glasses.

"Not on your life," she sung out as she turned on her heel to leave, "See you later boys."

"Later gator," Wally called after her, laughing a bit as he read over the file, playing with it a bit.

Liz waved over her shoulder as she walked off. She had some more work to do.


End file.
